[maurits]

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, David Simon

I usually don't read anything true crime like, but this book struck me as an almost endless maelstrom of night feverish violence.

This and 'The corner' are the books that 'The wire' is based on.

[walthamstow]

This book spawned its own show too I believe, called Homicide: Life on the Streets, predating The Wire. I have had it downloaded for a while but not watched it yet.